Review by wildbill
This is the most recent book in the Dave Robicheaux series. Instead of Louisiana the book is set in Montana. Dave with his wife Molly and Clete Purcel are on vacation living there as guests of Albert Hollister. Hollister is a writer and also teaches at a university.
The story begins with the murders of Seymour Bell and Cindy Kershaw two students at the university in the area. The murders are very gruesome and appear to be the work of a sadistic serial killer. Shortly after their murders another couple is murdered in equally gruesome fashion. Dave is asked by the Sheriff Joe Bim Higgins to assist in the investigation of the murders of the students. Clete is helping Dave out but not at the request of the Sheriff.
One of the other plot lines in the story is about Jimmie Dale Greenwood. He had escaped from a prison in Texas after attempting to murder a guard who had raped him and was going to do it again. Greenwood came to Montana looking for his old girlfriend and their son. The guard, Troyce Nix, comes into Missoula County looking for Greenwood and revenge. Along the way Nix had picked up Candace Sweeney and they had developed a very strong relationship which brought real change into the life of Troyce Nix.
The story of Nix and Candace Sweeney and their relationship is one of the high points of the book. At first Nix appears to be a stereotype bad guy but as he and Candace fall in love he shows that the love of a good woman can bring change to a man's life. They provide one of the real surprises in the ending of the book which you will have to read to learn about.
The book is a showcase of the writing talent of James Lee Burke. He is the master of poetic description of the people, objects and action in the story. Clothing, weather, clouds, people's voices are all given unique descriptions that make reading the book a real pleasure. I marvel at his talent.
Clete Purcel plays a large part in the story, larger than in a number of the previous books in the series. He is in the middle of a lot of the action, some violent and some romantic. He has a fling with Jamie Sue Wellstone and becomes more seriously involved with Alicia Rosecrans an FBI agent who is also hunting the serial killer. Some bad things happen to Clete, which I will not detail.
The other major characters are Ridley and Leslie Wellstone. Leslie is a real creep who is married to Jamie Sue who once was a country singer with Joe Dale Greenwood. They are the rich guys that Dave loves to hate and they earn his hatred.
I thought this was one of the best books written by James Lee Burke that I have read. The suspense in the last seventy-five pages wouldn't let me put the book down. I like Clete Purcel more than I did before I read this book. Troyce Nix goes through a metamorphosis that is wonderful and believable. Dave Robicheaux is still trying to solve the world's problems as he struggles with his own. I give it five stars because that's as high as I can go.
The story begins with the murders of Seymour Bell and Cindy Kershaw two students at the university in the area. The murders are very gruesome and appear to be the work of a sadistic serial killer. Shortly after their murders another couple is murdered in equally gruesome fashion. Dave is asked by the Sheriff Joe Bim Higgins to assist in the investigation of the murders of the students. Clete is helping Dave out but not at the request of the Sheriff.
One of the other plot lines in the story is about Jimmie Dale Greenwood. He had escaped from a prison in Texas after attempting to murder a guard who had raped him and was going to do it again. Greenwood came to Montana looking for his old girlfriend and their son. The guard, Troyce Nix, comes into Missoula County looking for Greenwood and revenge. Along the way Nix had picked up Candace Sweeney and they had developed a very strong relationship which brought real change into the life of Troyce Nix.
The story of Nix and Candace Sweeney and their relationship is one of the high points of the book. At first Nix appears to be a stereotype bad guy but as he and Candace fall in love he shows that the love of a good woman can bring change to a man's life. They provide one of the real surprises in the ending of the book which you will have to read to learn about.
The book is a showcase of the writing talent of James Lee Burke. He is the master of poetic description of the people, objects and action in the story. Clothing, weather, clouds, people's voices are all given unique descriptions that make reading the book a real pleasure. I marvel at his talent.
Clete Purcel plays a large part in the story, larger than in a number of the previous books in the series. He is in the middle of a lot of the action, some violent and some romantic. He has a fling with Jamie Sue Wellstone and becomes more seriously involved with Alicia Rosecrans an FBI agent who is also hunting the serial killer. Some bad things happen to Clete, which I will not detail.
The other major characters are Ridley and Leslie Wellstone. Leslie is a real creep who is married to Jamie Sue who once was a country singer with Joe Dale Greenwood. They are the rich guys that Dave loves to hate and they earn his hatred.
I thought this was one of the best books written by James Lee Burke that I have read. The suspense in the last seventy-five pages wouldn't let me put the book down. I like Clete Purcel more than I did before I read this book. Troyce Nix goes through a metamorphosis that is wonderful and believable. Dave Robicheaux is still trying to solve the world's problems as he struggles with his own. I give it five stars because that's as high as I can go.
Other Member Reviews
Swan Peak is the seventeenth book in James Lee Burke’s Dave Robicheaux series and, by now, longtime fans of the series probably know Dave Robicheaux and Clete Purcell better than they know their own real life first cousins (and might even enjoy their company more). What makes Swan Peak different from other Robicheaux novels, though, is that it is the first book in the series to be set entirely someplace other than in south Louisiana, home base for Robicheaux and his sidekick. But even in Montana, Robicheaux and Purcell, being who they are, manage to attract the attention of the same kind of people who have caused them so much grief in New Orleans and New Iberia for several decades.
Being one of the good guys (and these two, despite their numerous flaws, are definitely two of the good guys), even while on summer vacation, is not always easy. It is especially not easy for Clete Purcell who cannot control his mouth when he is hassled by two thuggish security guards for inadvertently camping overnight on private property. And it is not easy for Dave Robicheaux for one simple reason: he is Purcell’s best friend, and nothing about being Purcell’s friend is easy. Dave, his wife, Molly, and Clete may have come to Montana for a little R&R and lots of fishing, but very little fishing, and even less R&R, is what they get.
When a pair of college students is brutally murdered on a hill that overlooks the property they are staying on, Dave and Clete find themselves slowly sucked show more into the crime’s investigation, an investigation that soon threatens to blow up in their faces when every rock they overturn unmasks yet another lowlife pervert willing to do whatever it takes to remain under the radar of local cops and the FBI.
A James Lee Burke novel is one to be savored and, unlike most novels of its type, Burke’s books do not make for quick reading. Swan Peak, containing several subplots and numerous characters that sometimes cross from one plotline to another, is no exception, demanding to be read with a certain degree of attention if its full impact is to be felt.
Along the way, we meet both a Texas prison guard searching for the escaped prisoner who almost stabbed him to death and that prisoner, a talented country singer and picker who has come to Montana to find the woman he still loves, herself at one time a successful hillbilly singer. But before he can find the man he so badly wants to hurt, the guard finds Candace, a waitress who sees good in him that he does not even see in himself. There are the Wellstone brothers, unscrupulous oil operators from Houston, one of them terribly disfigured by burns but married to the very woman for whom the escaped prisoner is searching. And then there are characters like the sexual predator and tent preacher, Sonny Click, and the insane serial killer who delights in killing in the most painful ways imaginable – lots of characters, lots of subplots, all masterfully tied together by the end of the book into yet another powerful chapter in the lives of Dave Robicheaux and Cletus Purcell.
Rated at: 5.0 show less
Being one of the good guys (and these two, despite their numerous flaws, are definitely two of the good guys), even while on summer vacation, is not always easy. It is especially not easy for Clete Purcell who cannot control his mouth when he is hassled by two thuggish security guards for inadvertently camping overnight on private property. And it is not easy for Dave Robicheaux for one simple reason: he is Purcell’s best friend, and nothing about being Purcell’s friend is easy. Dave, his wife, Molly, and Clete may have come to Montana for a little R&R and lots of fishing, but very little fishing, and even less R&R, is what they get.
When a pair of college students is brutally murdered on a hill that overlooks the property they are staying on, Dave and Clete find themselves slowly sucked show more into the crime’s investigation, an investigation that soon threatens to blow up in their faces when every rock they overturn unmasks yet another lowlife pervert willing to do whatever it takes to remain under the radar of local cops and the FBI.
A James Lee Burke novel is one to be savored and, unlike most novels of its type, Burke’s books do not make for quick reading. Swan Peak, containing several subplots and numerous characters that sometimes cross from one plotline to another, is no exception, demanding to be read with a certain degree of attention if its full impact is to be felt.
Along the way, we meet both a Texas prison guard searching for the escaped prisoner who almost stabbed him to death and that prisoner, a talented country singer and picker who has come to Montana to find the woman he still loves, herself at one time a successful hillbilly singer. But before he can find the man he so badly wants to hurt, the guard finds Candace, a waitress who sees good in him that he does not even see in himself. There are the Wellstone brothers, unscrupulous oil operators from Houston, one of them terribly disfigured by burns but married to the very woman for whom the escaped prisoner is searching. And then there are characters like the sexual predator and tent preacher, Sonny Click, and the insane serial killer who delights in killing in the most painful ways imaginable – lots of characters, lots of subplots, all masterfully tied together by the end of the book into yet another powerful chapter in the lives of Dave Robicheaux and Cletus Purcell.
Rated at: 5.0 show less
I am not new to the Dave Robicheaux novels, but it has been a long time since I read one. Burke is one of those authors whose work has gotten a bit too violent and downright gratuitously bloody for me, so I hesitated before I picked this book up. However, I was driving cross country to Montana, and decided that I would give it a try. I found the descriptions of the country wonderful, and to my surprise found this novel to be one in which the good guys were good guys and the bad guys, well bad guys. There were characters who interested me, and made me care about them. In fact there were a whole raft of them, plus many of them started out bad, and then redeemed themselves. In fact I liked them so much that I cheered out loud for them. It was a good thing that I was alone in the car. There wasn't overt descriptions of violent horrible torture and death, but the novel was still edgy. That is a delicate balance for an author to keep and Burke did it well in this novel. In fact, this novel redeemed Burke for me and moved him back into my radar sights as a mystery author that I wouldn't mind reading in the future. What kept this from being an outstanding mystery, with a higher rating, was that the mystery part of the novel was rather mundane. What kept my interest were the wonderful characters and their moral development during the course of the novel.
Dave Robicheaux's further adventures with good and evil. Burke's writing hit some poetic highs in this one, but it had the usual dose of brutality as well, and just a bit too much of the author indulging his inner philosopher/preacher--I found myself shaking the book and muttering "Get on with the story, Jim, please". Burke also changed POV from first person Robicheaux to omniscient author and back multiple times. Although he has done that before, particularly using third person narrative from Clete Purcel's perspective, this time it was more pervasive and distracting, I thought. After Tin Roof Blowdown, I was relieved to find that Burke does apparently still believe in redemption and that some people are better than they know themselves to be. But I keep hoping for Dave to find some peace, and for Clete to finally self-destruct. Because that's where their lives ought to be trending, and it might be time for them to get there.
Swan Peak is James Lee Burke's usual -- meaning it's beautifully written, with characters that make you want to scream and cry. The difference for this installment is location. Dave Robicheaux has moved to Montana to get away from things in New Iberia and the New Orleans area. But trouble finds him anyway.
The use of first person and third person POVs has broadened the potential of Burke's stories. We now have more insight into the dark recesses of Clete Purcell's mind than ever before. It's fascinating. And it leaves me feeling in need of some of his whiskey. Or whatever he's drinking at the moment. That's a dark hole that houses Clete's mind.
The character of Nix makes you want to believe in hell. Then Burke goes ahead and makes him start changing, so he becomes almost sympathetic and you have a hard time hating him. Dammit. And then Burke goes and redeems him -- the story's villain -- and turns the victim into the bad guy, albeit briefly. I still think Nix is rotten deep down, but he showed a shred of humanity. It was his victim that couldn't get past the sins perpetrated against him that put him in Nix's place. How's that for a plot twist.
One of my favorite lines, demonstrative of Burke's ability to create an image:
"…inhaling a breath that was as sharp as a razor in his throat."
Don't tell me you don't feel that.
Another of my favorite passages demonstrates Burke's deft hand with a thoughtful moment for Dave, where he sums up so simply and eloquently the philosophy of show more Dave Robicheaux and how he sees his world:
"But if there is a greater lesson in what occurred inside that clearing, it's probably the simple fact that the real gladiators of the world are so humble in their origins and unremarkable in appearance that when we stand next to them in a grocery-store line, we never guess how brightly their souls can burn in the dark.
Or at least that's the way it seems to me." show less
The use of first person and third person POVs has broadened the potential of Burke's stories. We now have more insight into the dark recesses of Clete Purcell's mind than ever before. It's fascinating. And it leaves me feeling in need of some of his whiskey. Or whatever he's drinking at the moment. That's a dark hole that houses Clete's mind.
The character of Nix makes you want to believe in hell. Then Burke goes ahead and makes him start changing, so he becomes almost sympathetic and you have a hard time hating him. Dammit. And then Burke goes and redeems him -- the story's villain -- and turns the victim into the bad guy, albeit briefly. I still think Nix is rotten deep down, but he showed a shred of humanity. It was his victim that couldn't get past the sins perpetrated against him that put him in Nix's place. How's that for a plot twist.
One of my favorite lines, demonstrative of Burke's ability to create an image:
"…inhaling a breath that was as sharp as a razor in his throat."
Don't tell me you don't feel that.
Another of my favorite passages demonstrates Burke's deft hand with a thoughtful moment for Dave, where he sums up so simply and eloquently the philosophy of show more Dave Robicheaux and how he sees his world:
"But if there is a greater lesson in what occurred inside that clearing, it's probably the simple fact that the real gladiators of the world are so humble in their origins and unremarkable in appearance that when we stand next to them in a grocery-store line, we never guess how brightly their souls can burn in the dark.
Or at least that's the way it seems to me." show less
For the second time in James Lee Burke's Robicheaux series we find Dave Robicheaux and Clete Purcell back in the wildernesses of Montana. Per the norm, Clete gets Dave mixed up in violence and a series of murders that occur near where they are staying.
This novel is not entirely in Dave's point of view. A lot of it occurs in third-person, so you don't get the wonderful interaction with Dave's thoughts as much as you do in his other novels. In fact, Dave seems to be displaced in a way. He's not quite the star of the show. Clete takes precedence over Dave in this novel, and while Clete is a spectacular character, I feel that finally the alcohol and aging process have gotten to him. He still a force to be reckoned with, but you can tell throughout the novel that he's tired and turning into a shadow of his former self. I'm a bit concerned that Dave is turning into the same thing.
I've read every novel in the Robicheaux series and I've watched Dave try to drink himself to death, and I lived through his despair after the murder of his wife. He's been my companion for ten years now, and it's finally hitting me full force that Dave is growing old. The thriving energy he had in his fifties and sixties certainly can't go on much longer. He's mellowed, and I just can't imagine him beating someone down with a bag of nuts and bolts anymore.
I still love him, though, and I will continue to read every book he's in, even if it involves him and Clete solving mysteries and running down show more corrupt nurses in their wheelchairs at the New Iberia Nursing Home.
I thought it was a wonderful book. show less
This novel is not entirely in Dave's point of view. A lot of it occurs in third-person, so you don't get the wonderful interaction with Dave's thoughts as much as you do in his other novels. In fact, Dave seems to be displaced in a way. He's not quite the star of the show. Clete takes precedence over Dave in this novel, and while Clete is a spectacular character, I feel that finally the alcohol and aging process have gotten to him. He still a force to be reckoned with, but you can tell throughout the novel that he's tired and turning into a shadow of his former self. I'm a bit concerned that Dave is turning into the same thing.
I've read every novel in the Robicheaux series and I've watched Dave try to drink himself to death, and I lived through his despair after the murder of his wife. He's been my companion for ten years now, and it's finally hitting me full force that Dave is growing old. The thriving energy he had in his fifties and sixties certainly can't go on much longer. He's mellowed, and I just can't imagine him beating someone down with a bag of nuts and bolts anymore.
I still love him, though, and I will continue to read every book he's in, even if it involves him and Clete solving mysteries and running down show more corrupt nurses in their wheelchairs at the New Iberia Nursing Home.
I thought it was a wonderful book. show less
I am often repelled by the violence and sadism in Burke's books, but there is something about his prose, his love for his setting, that keeps me coming back. Swan Peak was set in my favorite part of the country, the border between Montana and Idaho. My husband and I drove over the Lolo Pass and Burke's descriptions of the landscape brought that trail to life for me. Clete Purcel was the star of this novel and I wished we had heard more from Molly. The fugitive guitar playing country singer Jimmy Dale was my favorite character.
I'm very partial to renegades Dave Robicheaux & Cletus Purcel. Having said that, this story flows like a swollen river from begining to end. There must be about a dozen characters to grab your emotions which should cover the gamut from 'she's really a kind sweet soul' to 'you dog; I can't wait for you to get yours'. It's all that in between action that keeps the pages turning. Burke writes with a knowledge that seems as though he's experienced it all, not just researched it. As much as I love the 'Big Easy' locale, Montana has a way of drawing you into it's snow capped, mountainous terrain; just enough to let go of the bayou till next time.
Moved right away from this sort of book, after doing too many of them, at some point. Wondered early on if I should have trusted that distance, but glad I didn't. Burke manages to make a happy ending so bleak that it remains moving. And I totally forgive how long it took him to get to the chase.
You either like Burke, in which case this will be to your taste, or you don't. To me he's like Connelly with class. Somebody will be offended by that. Sorry.
You either like Burke, in which case this will be to your taste, or you don't. To me he's like Connelly with class. Somebody will be offended by that. Sorry.
When Louisiana Sheriff's Detective Dave Robicheaux and his friend Private Investigator Clete Pursell decide to spend a summer fly fishing in Montana they naturally find some plenty of crimes that need to be solved. The local Sheriff even welcomes their help for awhile but the more they stir up the less welcoming the Sheriff becomes. Among the people they encounter are a family of wealthy Texas oil millionaires who have bought up a big chunk of Montana ranch land and build large estates and a bunch of country musicians and ex or escaped cons. Also a dishonorably discharged soldier turned prison guard who is trying to track down one of those escaped convicts. Will Clete and Dave solve all this without being killed themselves? I like the setting in Montana around Missoula and Flathead Lake just as much as I like Burke's Louisiana settings.
A quite powerful book about corruption and redemption. This Robicheaux utters some harsh monologue, judging the character of himself and others. The Montana backdrop, while one get a sense of its great beauty, is not my favorite setting for the Dave and Clete show. They do not quite ring true in Montana.
Detective Dave Robicheaux normally hanging around New Orleans and surrounding arrears like New Iberia, is spending the summer in Montana with his wife Molly, and archetypal best friend Clete Purcell. As usual a Dave and Clete have no trouble finding more trouble than fish. Four murders and then Clete is almost torched, raise the question who has the nerve and connections to get away with such a spree. As in many of Burke’s novels, we suspect the wealthy and connected, but just can’t always figure out who. In addition to some mafia and oilman suspects, there is a phony libidinous evangelical preacher, and a gunball who has a sadistic side tracking one of his prey. and 2 singers who seemed to lose their way.
Purcell and Robicheaux have to do all the work as usual for the FBI and local authorities, while stifling as best they can their instincts for mayhem, and the nightmares and flashbacks from their Vietnam days. One of the characters, the gunball is haunted by a waterboarding incident he was part of in the middle east.
Burke has written another remarkable novel. He is more of a novelist/author than a mystery writer, and fans of his will find once again compelling characters, prose and metaphors that will impress, and a tone and flavor that makes his work perennially delicious. While the nostalgia theme is getting a little tiresome, one never finds a novel by Burke tedious and he always delivers. I look forward each year to a new novel by him. One day I will be able to show more wait for the paperback, but with this novel he once again has my waiting for his next release this summer.
Rating really 4 and 1/2 stars.
This review first appeared at http://authorfriendly.wordpress.com show less
Purcell and Robicheaux have to do all the work as usual for the FBI and local authorities, while stifling as best they can their instincts for mayhem, and the nightmares and flashbacks from their Vietnam days. One of the characters, the gunball is haunted by a waterboarding incident he was part of in the middle east.
Burke has written another remarkable novel. He is more of a novelist/author than a mystery writer, and fans of his will find once again compelling characters, prose and metaphors that will impress, and a tone and flavor that makes his work perennially delicious. While the nostalgia theme is getting a little tiresome, one never finds a novel by Burke tedious and he always delivers. I look forward each year to a new novel by him. One day I will be able to show more wait for the paperback, but with this novel he once again has my waiting for his next release this summer.
Rating really 4 and 1/2 stars.
This review first appeared at http://authorfriendly.wordpress.com show less
Another good Robicheaux read. He brought in a lot of strings but pulled them together at the end. ully established a sense of place. Montana was the back drop instead of Louisiana but he successfAs usual full of sharp jibes and glib retorts and Burke/Robicheaux philosophizing. But Robicheaux and Purcell are getting old.
Dave Robicheaux, wife Molly and best friend Clete Purcel are vacationing in Montana after the devastation of hurricanes' Rita and Katrina in New Orleans.
When a pair of double murders occurs and the local sheriff seems overwhelmed, Dave and Clete offer their services.
Ridley Wellstone a wealthy former Texan, own land aroung Swan Lake and wants to drill test wells for oil and natural gas. He lives on his ranch with his brother, Lyle and Lyle's wife, country and western singer, Jamie Sue Wellstone.
When Ridley seens Dave and Clete, he accuses them of working with the person who filed an injunction against him for his well drilling. Even though Dave and Clete deny it, there are bad feelings which will escallate.
In a parallel story, Jamie Sue's former boyfriend, Jimme Dale Greenwood, who is the father of their child, is in jail in Texas. He's there for a minor offense but gets into an intollerable situation with guard Troyce Nix. When the situation gets ever worse, Jimmie Dale escapes and makes his way to Montana and Jamie Sue.
As we find more of what is going on at the Wellstone ranch and the Wellstone's backgrounds, and as Dave finds more about the people who have been murdered, we see why he is such a popular character. He's humble but determined. He's human and has flaws, a former alcoholic who attends regular meetings. However, he's also a champion for the poor and less fortunate who are taken advantage of by the wealthy opportunists who don't think they have to answer to show more the law.
With the excellent plot, some surprises and well described characters, James Lee Burke is once again at the top of his game. show less
When a pair of double murders occurs and the local sheriff seems overwhelmed, Dave and Clete offer their services.
Ridley Wellstone a wealthy former Texan, own land aroung Swan Lake and wants to drill test wells for oil and natural gas. He lives on his ranch with his brother, Lyle and Lyle's wife, country and western singer, Jamie Sue Wellstone.
When Ridley seens Dave and Clete, he accuses them of working with the person who filed an injunction against him for his well drilling. Even though Dave and Clete deny it, there are bad feelings which will escallate.
In a parallel story, Jamie Sue's former boyfriend, Jimme Dale Greenwood, who is the father of their child, is in jail in Texas. He's there for a minor offense but gets into an intollerable situation with guard Troyce Nix. When the situation gets ever worse, Jimmie Dale escapes and makes his way to Montana and Jamie Sue.
As we find more of what is going on at the Wellstone ranch and the Wellstone's backgrounds, and as Dave finds more about the people who have been murdered, we see why he is such a popular character. He's humble but determined. He's human and has flaws, a former alcoholic who attends regular meetings. However, he's also a champion for the poor and less fortunate who are taken advantage of by the wealthy opportunists who don't think they have to answer to show more the law.
With the excellent plot, some surprises and well described characters, James Lee Burke is once again at the top of his game. show less
it is not a good idea to put louisiana protqgonists in montana.why? because those (like me) who became enamoured with the author's writing did so because of the apt and drawing descriptions not necessary of Louisiana, but of sugar cane country. As far as the writing and plotting and page-turning ability goes, Burke could get me reading his intgerpretation of roberts' rules of order. he is that good.
This book was really beautifully written... gorgeous prose.
However, I just couldn't connect with the characters or get into the story. It seems like these characters have several books with them, so I might one day find them in chronological order and see if I can develop more of an attachment to them. As I said, it was a beautifully written story. I just picked it up at random on the library shelf.
However, I just couldn't connect with the characters or get into the story. It seems like these characters have several books with them, so I might one day find them in chronological order and see if I can develop more of an attachment to them. As I said, it was a beautifully written story. I just picked it up at random on the library shelf.
enjoyable and atmospheric as always, here the forests and backwaters rather than New Orleans and Louisiana. I found the lot a bit muddled though
Whoa. what happened. Burke had the characters fine tuned from some great books he wrote a while back and had a contract to fill ( not that kind contract! a book contract.). OK-Burke does a nice job describing Montana la la la. And shows how the emotionally-injured thug can be redeemed by looove. But I´ve had enought of Clete and his problems. And enough sadistic killers, too. How about some nice simple holdups or ponzi schemes for a change. At least the book got me thru a days worth of flu fever. I rate it EAB--emergency airplane book, when thats all they have in the airport bookkiost.
Dave R. is in Montana with Clete and manages to stay alive again. An escaped con from a Texas contract prison, the gunbull he cut up to escape, and a mob boss incognito from New Orleans all congregate near Missoula, resulting in the usual murder and mayhem. Can't they just stay down there in the South???
Detective Dave Robicheaux, his wife Molly and his friend Clete Purcell from New Iberia are "vacationing" in Montana to get away from Louisiana crime. Unfortunately they are not to have much of a vacation with multiple bad guys. It is an exciting story with embedded stories. Much philosophizing on Dave's part. The characters that are the bad guys are believable and receive their just due. Molly who is an ex nun is mostly supportive of Dave and his actions. Clete continues in his self destructive mode.
Swan Peak does not take place in Louisiana. Robicheaux, his wife and his buddy, Clete Purcell are staying at an old friend's ranch in Montana.
Two bodies, college students, were found nearby. They were brutally murdered. Robicheaux and Purcell are drawn into the case, but not by choice. They are threatened by employees of a neighboring ranch owned by an oil tycoon.
This was not my favorite Robicheaux novel. I love the Louisiana setting, and missed it. There seems to be a lot of brutality in this book. Hopefully, Burke will return Robicheaux to New Orleans in his next book.
Two bodies, college students, were found nearby. They were brutally murdered. Robicheaux and Purcell are drawn into the case, but not by choice. They are threatened by employees of a neighboring ranch owned by an oil tycoon.
This was not my favorite Robicheaux novel. I love the Louisiana setting, and missed it. There seems to be a lot of brutality in this book. Hopefully, Burke will return Robicheaux to New Orleans in his next book.
Abridged audio book significantly detracts from the book as written.
Not among my favorite burke novels but the book as read is better than this abridged version.
Narration is good as usual.
Not among my favorite burke novels but the book as read is better than this abridged version.
Narration is good as usual.
This is the 17th book in the Dave Robicheaux/Clete Purcel series written by James Lee Burke. New Orleans, aka, The Big Sleazy, is home base but this book takes us to Montana where Dave and Clete are vacationing. Trouble is never far away for these two, and a double homicide occurs not far from where they are staying. True to form, they are drawn into the investigation, and this book has all the elements that make a mystery enjoyable.
Burke has just gotten too creepy and violent for me. EXCELLENT writer -- truly superb. A sad loss to my stand-by list of always read authors.
tedious at best - didn't really like any of the characters and the ending I thought was lame. terrible, painful, narration was from the guy in Remember the Titans and I just couldn't wait till it ended. About louisiana cop David Robicheaux and his friend - terrible
If you haven't read anything by James Lee Burke I am both envious and smug at the same time. My favourite writer in any genre by a mile.
Excellent story from a master. Brutal but excellent!
excellent quick read "pulp" fiction
Taking a much-needed break from the gritty, hurricane-ravaged landscape of their Louisiana home, lawman Dave Robicheaux, his wife, and his buddy Clete Purcel head to a friend's Montana ranch, where they hope to spend their days fishing and relaxing. But a storm of trouble descends on their wilderness retreat when two college students are found brutally murdered, and the three southerners are pulled into the twisted and dangerous snares of a vicious oil tycoon.
Could not finish
In Bergafwaarts gaat inspecteur Robicheaux op een welverdiende vakantie in het landelijke Montana. Samen met zijn vrouw en beste vriend Clete Purcell verblijft hij op een oude ranch. Maar zijn rust wordt al snel verstoord door de brute moord op twee studenten. Robicheaux duikt in dit mysterie waarin een rijke oliebaron, zijn mismaakte broer en mooie echtgenote, een perverse dominee, een ontsnapte gevangene en een voormalige countryzanger een rol spelen.
Dec 26, 2011Dutch
Mooie misdaadroman met enkele verhalen die zoals in de films van Tarantino door elkaar geweven worden en op het eind mooi samenkomen.
Nov 16, 2009Dutch
Integrale weergave van het gelijknamige boek (op Daisy-rom) dat aangeboden is in de a.i.'s boeken* met onderstaande tekst van recensent G.P. Schuring. 'Detective Dave Robicheaux en zijn voormalige partner Clete Purcel bevinden zich ver van hun thuisbasis Louisiana in Montana om op het land van een vriend een visvakantie door te brengen. Maar het begint slecht als Clete zich onbewust op het land van de Wellstone’s bevindt en op onbeschofte manier verwijderd wordt. Clete herkent de bewaker als iemand die in dienst was van een maffiafiguur. Het wordt erger als kort na elkaar twee jonge mensen en twee toeristen gruwelijk vermoord worden. Bovendien maakt een zekere Troy Nix jacht op een ontsnapte gevangene die om heel persoonlijke redenen naar Montana is gekomen. Voldoende complicaties voor een gecompliceerd, maar spannend verhaal. De hoofdpersonen zijn bekend uit zestien eerdere romans. Ze zijn nu ouder, maar niet bezadigder; hoofdpersoon Robicheaux speelt feitelijk een ondergeschikte rol. De romans van Burke kennen nogal wat mensen met psychische stoornissen en geheime agenda’s. Hun gedrag is daarom onvoorspelbaar. De spanning ontstaat vooral door de dreigende sfeer die de schrijver hiermee creëert.
Ratings
Published Reviews
ThingScore 63
Swan Peak is a deeply confused book, and so must its author be, realizing–even as he writes on autopilot–that his mouthpiece Robicheaux, occasionally even speaking in first person, is a violent sociopath, immune to human emotion, and totally detached from reality.
added by Shortride
Despite the story’s length and complexity, Burke’s view of the world is more explicit than ever: noble intentions baffled by long-festering damage from war and alcoholism, and beneath it all the determination of the rich and powerful to keep their perks. ... Like all Dave’s adventures, a tale of violent conflict whose deepest violence boils inside the heroes.
added by Roycrofter
